Queensland Super Rugby team the Reds have announced that hooker Stephen Moore will play his final Super Rugby season in 2018 and will retire from Test rugby at the end of 2017

Queensland Reds and Wallabies hooker Stephen Moore today announced he will retire from Test Rugby at the end of 2017, before playing a final season of Super Rugby in 2018.

Moore has played at the top level for more than a decade, after making his Super Rugby debut for Queensland in 2003 and his Test debut for Australia in 2005.

The 34-year-old will call time on his Test career following the Wallabies’ end of season Spring Tour later this year, but will don the Queensland colours again next year before hanging up his boots at the end of the Super Rugby season.

“I’m very fortunate to have had the opportunity to represent my state and country on so many occasions,” Moore said.

“I’ve had a long career and my time in the game is something I’ll look back on very fondly. That being said, there’s still a lot of Rugby ahead of me over the next 12 months and I hope to be able to contribute to the success of the Wallabies and the Reds with the time I have left.

“When I made the decision to return to Queensland, I felt it was important to give back to the Reds and help them develop the next generation of leaders. While we’ve had some disappointing results this season, we’ve definitely seen growth in the side and the emergence of some genuinely talented, competitive young players – I think the future of the Reds is in good hands if we apply ourselves and stay grounded.”

A product of the Queensland Rugby pathway, Moore played 52 games for Queensland between 2003 and 2008, before joining the Brumbies in 2009. He returned to the Reds ahead of the 2017 season and played 13 games for the side this year, including five as captain.

Reds head coach Nick Stiles said: “Stephen has been excellent for the Reds, both on and off the field. His leadership qualities are outstanding and the work he has done to help mentor the next generation of players has been exceptional.”

Queensland Rugby Union CEO Richard Barker said: “Stephen has been a great ambassador for Queensland for a long time. He has had a remarkable career. The fact he has been able to play at an elite level for such a long time is a credit to his professionalism. I’ve no doubt his competitiveness, commitment and discipline has had an influence on the next generation of Queensland Rugby talent.”

Moore is a veteran of both the international and provincial Rugby arenas, having featured 120 times for the Wallabies and played 177 games of Super Rugby.

He is currently the second-most capped Australian Test player of all time and has played the second-most number of Super Rugby games of any player in the history of the competition.